Category: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
The former U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator, Seema Verma, did not paint a rosy outlook for the home health industry this week in Chicago. In fact, hardly any of what she said evoked optimism among operators in the crowd. In regards to the economy, she said it would be her guess […]
Another in-person event came and went this week, as Home Health Care News hosted its annual Capital+Strategy event in Arlington, Virginia. And as executives, analysts, private equity representatives and others gathered to discuss the state of home-based care, news dropped that UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) is acquiring LHC Group Inc. (Nasdaq: LHCG) and combining the […]
A bill that would extend the Acute Hospital Care at Home waiver has finally been introduced. Dubbed the “Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act,” the bill is sponsored by Sens. Tom Carper (D-Del.) and Tim Scott (R-S.C.), as well as Reps. Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio) and Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.). The bill would extend the waivers that have […]
Former U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Seema Verma is bullish on a lot. Speaking at the Home Care 100 conference Tuesday, she expressed enthusiasm for a new era of data-tracking and technology, as well as value-based care, Medicare Advantage and hospital at home. Most noteworthy to the attendees, however, was her […]
On the last day of November, a nationwide injunction was issued by a federal judge in Louisiana to freeze the COVID-19 vaccine mandate from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). On Wednesday, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans ruled that the injunction should not have been applied nationwide. Instead, […]
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced Monday it continues to see a major decrease in improper payments to providers, though not necessarily in the home health setting. Specifically, the agency said that there has been a $20.72 billion reduction in Medicare fee-for-service improper payments since 2014. “CMS is undertaking a concerted effort […]
Since the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released its interim emergency regulation relating to the federal government’s vaccine mandate last Thursday, more clarity has come to the surface. Specifically, CMS has made clear what health care providers are included, what individuals can be exempt and how the mandate will be enforced. Sign up […]
Officials from the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and its main innovation hub touted a “strategy refresh” on Wednesday. Among its key pillars, the refresh calls for greater payment and regulatory flexibilities supporting the provision of home- and community-based care. CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure discussed the strategy reset during a Wednesday afternoon […]
The public comment period for the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) home health proposed payment rule closed last week. Since then, the industry has voiced more substantive concerns with the rule than initially expected. The Partnership for Quality Home Healthcare (PQHH), for instance, recently released its own perspective, which was driven by […]
A recently published study by the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is sure to add more fuel to the fire for the “Choose Home” initiative and other movements aiming to bring more care into the home. Specifically, the study found that although nursing home residents only represent 2% of the Medicare population, […]
The rollout of the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) Review Choice Demonstration (RCD) has been anything but smooth. The initiative implemented to reduce improper billing and fraud in select states has been plagued by issues like COVID-19-related delays and missteps by CMS and its contractors, among others. Despite the flaws, the demo […]
Signify Health’s (NYSE: SGFY) leaders are as cautiously optimistic and encouraged by the prospects of direct-contracting models as almost anyone. For now, Signify works with the government to give the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) insight on how the models could work in the future. The company also works with adjacent organizations that […]
The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on Monday proposed plans to expand the Home Health Value-Based Purchasing (HHVBP) model nationwide by the start of next year. The agency did so in its proposed payment rule for 2022. In addition to the HHVBP expansion, CMS proposed to increase Medicare payments to home health […]
The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has extended the Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement (CJR) payment model. That’s welcome news for home health operators, as CJR has been a key program for participating agencies since its implementation. Introduced in 2016, CJR essentially allows CMS to hand out bonuses or inflict payment penalties […]
A delay in the Global and Professional Direct Contracting Model by the Biden administration has put the already-accepted direct-contracting entities (DCEs) in a coveted position. New entrants are no longer being accepted for participation in the model while the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and its innovation arm review the details. That gives […]
It has been over three months since former Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Seema Verma resigned from her post. As of Wednesday, no one has officially filled the position’s void. The Biden administration’s pick for administrator, Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, has yet to be confirmed by the Senate due to ongoing partisan disputes. For […]
The Acute Hospital Care At Home initiative from the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) now has at least 80 participants, Administrator Seema Verma announced Wednesday. Unveiled in November, the initiative has been growing rapidly, especially of late. On its end, CMS hopes the emerging hospital-at-home models can increase acute care capacity and […]
The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued its final 2021 home health payment rule in late October. When it came out, some providers were less than pleased. On one hand, the Patient-Driven Groupings Model (PDGM) wasn’t substantially altered to balance out its flawed behavioral assumptions. On another, there are also a few […]
The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) officially closed its public comment window for the 2021 proposed home health payment rule on Monday. Unlike the past couple of years, the latest proposed payment rule included relatively minor changes and rate adjustments for the year ahead. In light of the mild proposal, CMS only […]
U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) is asking the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to ensure that in-home care providers have access to essential resources amid the coronavirus. Throughout the public health emergency, home health and home care providers have been vocal about the challenges […]
The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicare Services (CMS) announced Tuesday that the Review Choice Demonstration (RCD) would be renewed for participating states beginning in August. The RCD was suspended in late March due to the COVID-19 crisis, but now CMS is planning on moving forward with the demonstration “regardless of the status of the […]